Everton vs Hull City

I would go:

Howard (really don’t want to pick him but no-one else)
Coleman Jagielka Browning Baines
Osman Barry
Mirallas Barkley Pienaar
Lukaku

The crowd will have a big impact on the game, so it’s important that the team get off to a good start and keep the fans happy. No prediction from me it’s any one’s guess which team shows up for the fight.

I agree, mind.

Phil, I want what you’re smoking. Shit must cost a fortune...

Their big lads will be dangerous at set-pieces and we’ll need to be at our best to win.

Jimmy Martin; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin (I’d rather have Ty), Baines (leaning towards Garbutt with each passing week); Besic (and it will be) Barry (could/ought to be Osman); Mirallas, Pienaar (Bryan would be better if ready) Barkley (IN THE MIDDLE), and Lukaku, the best 21-year-old centre-forward in the Premier lLeague.

Subs: Robles, Garbutt, Browning, Osman, Oviedo? Eto’o, Kone?

Hull bought well in the window and their fans have all the right in the world to be disappointed. They will fire one day soon. But not tomorrow.

COYB

So far, Roberto has not found an answer to opponents that only make a token effort in the midfield to concentrate on packing their defence. Jags and Co and their uncontested tecka deep in our own half would bring a smile to Bruce’s ugly mug. It certainly does nothing for any attacking ideas we may have.

As proven so often in previous games the biggest danger to our own goal is when our attack battering itself senseless against a brick wall becomes more and more desperate and forgets defensive duties.

That is when opponents play long balls into wide open spaces in our defensive zones. Pushing too many players forward may appear great yet it is also our biggest weakness.

Both of them, it could be argued, are very large part of the engine that makes us go, but it could also be said, that when they are unable to play at 100%, they bring the level of play of the entire team down.

Maybe a few days rest will see them ready to go... maybe not.

Osman
Barry

Mirallas
Barkley
McGeady or Pienaar

Lukaku

It’s probably the first time since Moyes left, that I’m not really that bothered about going the match. Of course, I will be there and hope for a good performance. Results matter most, but it’s also an entertainment business.

Nothing wrong with possession football, I love it, but we just don’t seem to be a team with much purpose lately. Let’s go for goals Roberto, there’s enough talent in the squad to do so!

We really have to start winning our home matches, the next three starting tonight are Hull, QPR and Stoke, we must win all of these because away from home we have struggled for wins, we have Man City away Saturday and Southampton away before Christmas.

Play your strongest team, Roberto, and put a rocket up Baines, Coleman and Barkley and let them know their places are NOT guaranteed just by name.

We could have made a statement on Sunday at Spurs by keeping Hibbert and Garbutt as fullbacks but we caved in to go back to the big names despite them being below par this season.

So the question is: Which Everton will turn up? Our Jekyll-and-Hyde season should see us win handsomely; however, I am fast losing confidence with this Everton side and also in RM’s selections and decisions during games .

Martinez has done well to avoid criticism from the large majority of the fans and from the national press but other teams have sussed Everton out and he doesn’t seem to have a Plan B and his motivation skills seem none existent. His smooth talking post-match comments are just not washing anymore – I would have more respect if he said: "I got the selection wrong today and I accept the blame" – but we continually get Mr positive and how unlucky we were.

Very frustrating season so far; hopefully if we can get some players back from injury, it’s not too late to aim for a top four finish but we desperately need consistency and it can start with a good win against Hull tonight!

Strangely I often feel that players like McAleny play better against better opposition and raise their game. Tonight, a Lukaku hat-trick would be the best medicine for Spurs and I feel we need something like that to reignite us.

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Browning Baines
Besic Barry
Mirallas Barkley McGeady
Lukaku

Baines and Coleman need to show up tonight.

Anyone up for a beer pre-match!!!!

COYB

We must start getting the ball in front of Lukaku. He is great when running towards goal with the ball, like against West Ham, Wolfsburg and Palace, but not very good at all when he is getting it fed to him when he comes back towards the half-way line, like in most of the other games this season.

If fit enough, I would like to see Pienaar start. I know he has been disappointing when seen this season but he gives us a link between midfield and attack that we so often lack, like at Spurs last Sunday.

1. Only one defensive midfielder;
2. Mirallas as a second striker alongside Lukaku.

Anyhow, Everton is very strong, it looks like atmosphere in the team is great, we only need to be more direct going forward.

I really liked the lad’s attitude when he was here and memories of thinking we had a potentially devastating striker in those early months are always fondly looked back on.

Subs: Eto’o, Oviedo, Kone, Browning, McGeady, Robles

We need Ossie’s ability to unlock the door – his lack of legs shouldn’t be too much of an issue against Hull!

Of course anyone is entitled to hold a view and long may it be so. But it is all a matter of opinion and ’best’ is a subjective description which varies according to whether one is talking of skill, fitness, drive, dedication et al.

The purpose of a league table is to determine which club can show the ’best ’of all these qualities once every team has played the others home and away. It may not be perfect in that no allowance can be made for injuries, referees, and old-fashioned bad luck. But, like democracy, it’s the best system we can come up with.

After a third of the season, this squad demonstrates that it is ’about average’ if one accepts the game is all about goals rather than the manager’s revisionist concept of ’possession stats’. Potentiality may indicate it will finish higher by the close but, like so much in life, that’s just guesswork.

So, in truth, it will only be ’best for 25 years’ if it finishes higher than Moyes’s 4th – then, and only then, will I agree it is the third ’best’ in the Premier League!

But now, we don’t seem to want to go at teams; our passing has become slow which just about every fan comments on, and we don’t seem to want to play the ball quickly out of defence. What has changed? Why are we now so cautious and still being opened up at the back.

So please, RM, we have some very good players – let them show Hull tonight just how good... let them off their cautious lease and play some adventurous football.

One thing we must do is not start Eto’o and Barkley. With a tough game against Man City to follow, I’d start with Ross and bring on Sam around the hour mark, depending on how it’s going.

Loads of games this month so we need to use the squad wisely.

It also means that Barry/McCarthy no longer need to drop back so deep to accept the pass.

We need to play with no fear – we ARE better than them.

If the system is suitably fluid enough to allow players to pop up in different areas, it could have more goals in it and go some way to keeping the opponents guessing. This tactic could be the embryo of the illusive Plan B.

Assault on Europe. Pepper on the Premier League. Let’s hope we grind some chunks out with a win tonight. (I wouldn’t say No to Osman in the middle either.)

Yes, with current form, Ossie should start. I haven’t seen him play so well for a long time.

Barry’s return is also crucial and after Sunday’s game he should be sharper for today.
Hull, like Leicester, are the bottom feeders and ordinarily would be easy like the Foxes were yesterday for RS. However, all games are different and Everton’s home form hasn’t been great.

Hull will park the bus I fear so it’s crucial to score early and, if not, for them to be patient and not fall asleep when Hull occasionally break.

It is easy to see what Martinez is trying to achieve – it’s just a fact that most of the players we have don’t have the ability to utilise the gameplan in the correct manner. There is always a half-second too long on the ball or an extra touch and we break down.

I don’t think it is our manager’s intention to have his players shuffle the ball sideways. As I say, it’s the lack of ability to get the job done. In my humble opinion, of course.

I’m going for a 1-1 draw...

This season, though, Europa League results apart, we seem to be drifting and Roberto’s methods, much praised last year, are coming in for increasing criticism.

Therefore, for me, not only is tonight a must-win game, but Saturday’s visit to Manchester needs a similar result to that attained at Old Trafford 12 months ago to reinforce that this is an Everton team who can go to any ground with the belief that they can win.

Mirallas’s preferred position has always been on the left side it’s where he plays for Belgium and he has previously stated he prefers to play on the left wing. I suspect the only reason he’s played on the right for so long was the good relationship between Pienaar and Baines, but it’s plain to see Mirallas is much more of a threat cutting inside on his right foot; he started the season playing there and playing well.

I think I am right in saying we finished with 11 points more than Moyes side that finished 4th, with a negative goal difference, in a freak year.

It would be a good idea if his critics posted their starting 11 before kick-off tonight.

As far as team selection against Hull, the playing of Lukaku and Eto’o together has not worked out and I do not think Naismith should be risked and end up the same as McCarthy. The team that I think should play tonight is the same back 5 as Sunday with Besic, Barkley & Barry as the three busy bees in midfield and have Osman playing behind Lukaku and Mirallas.

All the the Everton team need is to quicken up their passing and attack before the opposition get everyone behind the ball. (Easier said than done!)

My reason for Barkley to be in midfield is simply that at some time the manager has got to define what Barkley’s best position is and just leave him there instead of moving him around. To me with his pace size and strength, he is ideal to tackle and bring the ball forward and also can score.

Martinez brought Alcaraz with him to show them how to do it but he, too, looks well past his best so hasn’t been much help.

I mustn’t mention the last club he inflicted the philosophy on but, being well past its sell-by date, it was sussed by other managers with most regrettable consequences.

Let’s hope that old dogs can learn new tricks... and quickly!

When I saw the team on Sunday, I was reasonably happy. However, after 10 minutes it seemed quite clear that neither Eto’o or Barry were even close to being fit. So I went from being quite happy to very unhappy. Not because I’m fickle, but because I now had a better idea of the adequacy of the team we’d put out.

You assume wrongly.

My post was aimed at people who,with the benefit of hindsight, criticise the manager’s team selection.

Hopefully they will let us know their team selection before kick-off.

I do have to agree with the style RM is persisting with is causing us problems both at the back giving away possession which leads to goals but also it’s not playing to our strengths going forward. Surely he knows himself Lukaku needs early balls to run onto and we have loads of good ball players now fit to hit him such passes. I am glad to see him and Mirallas playing well off each other and hopefully Kevin can stay fit over Christmas but I fear not.

Barkley to me is still trying to do too much and needs to beat a man, pass and go for the return rather than beat four men.

We are all guilty of this but when you look at him and hear him talk, it really is hard to believe Luka is 21. He does annoy me a lot with his lack of work ethic but then v Wolfsburg he was awesome and worked really hard.

2-0 tonight with McGeady getting one.

Stop playing players because they did well for you at the start of the season and pick our best team. Two holding, two wingers, and Ross behind Rom. I know injuries have limited the luxury of doing this most times throughout this season so far. But everyone is back now, so play the balanced side that got results last year.

I can see why fans love him because of his work rate, but Naismith in there is not our best option, Ross is!

Also, I don’t know what Stevie P has done in the last few weeks, but he seams to be getting less and less playing time? He is great on the ball and is one of the few who can actually create something, plus I think Baines is missing him. This would put Super Kev back on the right and would allow Coleman to start to flourish again.

In October, we only had one home league game which we won 3-0 to Villa.

In November, we had two home league games: Drew 0-0 with Swansea and won 2-1 v West Ham.

I think people need to calm down again and enjoy watching us play football and score loads of goals. We are joint 3rd top scorers so far.

People arguing that Ossie would have made a difference or Garbutt or that Barkley was played in the wrong position maybe making valid points but none would have ensured 3 points for us at the Lane. We were lethargic all over and not just in moving the ball as some have pointed out but had no energy or spark or bite.

Our only chance of winning that game was to hang on to the lead until half-time and get their crowd on their back but Howard’s gift change all that and it was game over from then.

I feel we will get a reaction tonight and he will play a similar team and let them make amends for Sunday as I couldn’t name one player that played well. I think we will win well tonight. COYB

By the way, Martinez lad, fucking please, please, please don’t play Ross out wide because it never worked first time and hasn’t worked since.

I’m concerned with the amount of first teamers not fully fit / carrying injuries. They need resting, especially with Man City looming. We cannot afford to worsen existing problems. This is particularly important as mentioned by others, we have no strength in depth.

Our U21s have no-one significant RM can call upon despite his pre-season promise of several being given opportunities. How can he, when clearly (vs Sunderland U21s) most choked?
Coupled with RM’s pre-season comments re Luke Garbutt and Tyias Browning ("I consider these two first-team players even though they haven’t played that much.") appear to have been more hopefully than realistic.

Hull have lost all four games in November and haven’t won on the road since their opening day fixture at QPR. Let’s hope they don’t fix that jinx tonight... COYB

I haven’t an issue with RM’s style of possession football as long as we step it up a bit. This style of play with pace would have a lot of teams in trouble. With the way the results went last night, this is a must 3 points. COYB

The point is, we don’t have the same information as the manager before the game. I would have picked Barry for the game on Sunday if he was fully fit, but he wasn’t. If I put my team up here before the game tonight he would be in it, but if after 5 minutes he looked slower than my 89-year-old nan, like he did at the Lane then I would have changed my mind.

The same thing could be said about dozens of players this season. I have been very worried by the fact players appear to be rushed back into the side way before they are ready.

As many have intimated, the lethargy we demonstrated after capitulating from a brilliant one-goal early lead on Sunday, with what was arguably one of the strongest attacking line-ups on paper, was due in part to Martinez selecting unfit players.

Yes, some people like to pick the team, and many like to retrospectively tear apart the selection – both activities, if you analyze them for one second, have no merit or purpose in affecting the outcome or influencing the man who really matters – the manager. But neither are going to stop any time soon.

Naismith is the most likely to play a wideman into a position where he can cross the ball, and also the most likely to get on the end of and convert a ball into the box.

If you want to exploit the wide areas, Naisy in the hole is a must... in my opinion anyway.

I’m certainly not writing the boy off after one poor showing for the U21s on Monday, but surely Distin is a better option at present. Browning look shaky other night and got away with what looked like a stone-wall penalty against him.

This is where Roberto fails in his system, he is not adaptable and we will pass it sideways and back all night whilst they frustrate the life out of us and we frustrate the life out of the fans.

Not looking forward to this one bit, the only time we ever look effective going forward is when teams come to play an open game.

Good stat on the radio this morning in that if all games had finished at half-time this season, we would be 2nd; we have lost half-time leads in 6 of our matches this season.

Hull do not look likely to score two this evening but like Soldado hadn’t scored for yonks and then turns up trumps against the Blues I suppose Hull could find something too.

I think the manager had to start Barry as Gibson and Mac were both out so the only alternative was Osman and he would have got totally over-run in there and his better performances have all come playing in the hole.

People are slating Roberto for putting players in the wrong position but to some degree this has been forced upon him with Pienaar and Mirallas injuries and Atsu not producing.

He inherited 3 players in Naismith, Barkley and Osman who all prefer to play in the hole and he signed a striker in Eto’o who has always led the line but for us seems happier playing behind as well. If it was me, I would cash in on Naismith’s fine form and use the money to either buy Delboy or put towards another striker like Benteke.

And Osman would have got over-run as DM? Like his previous game in that position?

This is particularly evident when you have 2 attacking full backs into the bargain.

Eto, Mirallas , Lukaku, Mcgeady and Barkley and Ossie are all attack minded players who don’t defend well at all.

So to only play 2 "real" MF players when other teams are playing 4 or 5 means the link that is so vital to getting attacking full backs forward is not there and the opposition find it easy to put pressure on the ball and find space behind.

This is not Spain it is England where the work rate is higher and therefore the need for workhorses in MF is more of an issue.

We only have McCarthy and Besic (and did have Fellaini) whose can get up and down the pitch consistently for 90 minutes. Barry gets away with it because of his experience and reading of the game but doesn’t have the engine he once had.

I don’t think our problem was so much our midfield being over-run (neither goal conceded came from being over-run in midfield - both errors) as our inability to move forward at pace and penetrate their defence.

Spot on.
An unbalanced side.

Why the Hell does Baines now stop and stand still with the ball? I honestly cannot recall seeing a Spurs player doing that, but Baines did it every single time he was in possession.

McGeady and Eto and Atsu are all additions made and we have lost Delefeu.

In addition Naismith and Lukaku were holding the ball up better last season whereas this season they are getting caught on the ball more which then puts pressure on our MF.

We used to be a team that recovered from a losing position now we are a team that throws away a winning position.

Howard

Coleman
Jags
Distin
Baines

Besic
Barry
McCarthy ( if fit)

Mirallas
Lukaku
Barkley

4-3-3

Any Hull player who hasn’t scored in a decade can be guaranteed to end his drought tonight.

All our set piece deliveries will be appalling.

If he plays, Gaz Barry will be booked. If he doesn’t, Besic will.

Howard, Distin and Jagielka will get in a defensive muddle at least twice, leading to a goal conceded or heart failure for the crowd.

Lukaku will not win and/or compete for an aerial challenge.

McGeady will dazzle then frustrate.

That is all.

Barry needs games to get back to form but I’m not sure he should play 3 games in 7 days having just come back from injury and would save him for City.

Naismith shouldn’t be rushed back, we have enough games coming up.

Pundits are always saying that it is very hard to up the tempo of a game, once you have established your pattern. Maybe that is what happened at Spurs. It seemed to take till the last ten minutes for us to speed it up a bit.

And tonight for the record, my team is as follows.
Howard, Coleman, Distan,Jags, Baines,
Besic, Barkley, Barry,Nais(if fit, in the hole) Miralas, Lukaku.( If no Nais, Then Barkley in the hole, and Ossie in Midfield).

It was certainly not an infantile challenge as mentioned earlier.
Anyway,off to the game lets hope for 3 points and a clean sheet.

COYB

I’ve read enough I’m going the match.

Hopefully the players who have spent their entire careers operating at a level that was miles above the manager will start to contribute a little too.

They could have done it without him... but could he have ever done it if he hadn’t inherited them?

If we lose it’s the managers fault. :-)

Equally:

If we win it is all to do with the manager. If we lose it is not the the manager's fault.

See Darren’s post at 98.

There is no logic in his posts re the subject in my opinion.